Stories from Southern Minnesota's Fighting First

Taxes

March 25, 2009

Our friends at the Southeast Minnesota Area Labor Council sent us this news. SEMNLC president Laura Askelin will probably have more to say about it on the Uptake at 5:05.

If Governor Tim Pawlenty has his way, corporations will pay less and working Minnesotans will pay more. President Obama and Congressman Walz are working hard to rebuild our economy and restore the middle class. But Gov. Pawlenty would pass the responsibility onto mayors, city council, and school district rather than make the tough choices.

Minnesota's unemployment rate continued to climb in February, hitting a seasonally adjusted 8.1 percent as the state shed another 13,300 jobs. As we see the employment rate sore, Governor Pawlenty wants to cut $750 million to balance the budget. His cuts will cause more layoffs and more harm to families already hurting by the poor economy. His cuts mean real pain for union members and every family and community across the state.

1. Call Your Elected Officials and Tell Them:

*Save jobs and services Minnesotans count on.

*Families are hurting by the poor economy and need our vital public services to survive.

*Fix the budget by raising revenue, including fair taxes on the wealthy.

The Governor's budget plan puts the services you depend on at risk. Passage will lead to major local government aid (LGA) cuts, reducing funds available for rec. centers and libraries, as well as regulatory services, public safety and public works. Minnesota can't afford the Governor's hit!

Rally on Capitol Steps to Support LGA Thursday, March 26 Noon to 1:00pm

March 19, 2009

Back in October, Congressman Walz was scolded by the editorial board of the Star Tribune for voting against the bank bailout bill. He defended his choice in Why I Voted Against the Bailout Bill. One of the things he wrote about the legislation he said no to twice:

It continues to permit excessive CEO compensation by instituting
so-called limits on compensation and golden parachutes that are
essentially all bark and no bite. As the Washington Post puts it,
"executive pay experts said the regulations are too weak to spark major
reform in the way companies compensate top officers, and too narrow in
scope to change the pay structure that encouraged finance executives in
boom times to take on enormous risks."

While American International Group
Inc.’s chief executive says the firm could recover millions in bonuses
via voluntary means, that’s not slowing a legislative effort to recoup
the money and shift the incentive-based pay structure traditionally
used by financial institutions.

The House is scheduled to act Thursday on legislation (H.R. 1586) that would impose a 90 percent tax on bonuses given to highly paid
employees not only of AIG, but of all recipients of more than $5
billion in federal bailout funds, a group expected to include about a
dozen financial institutions, according to Ways and Means Chairman Charles B. Rangel , D-N.Y. Bank of America Corp., Wells Fargo & Co. and Citigroup Inc. would likely be among the affected companies.

The
House response, and Senate legislation also likely to see action in the
coming days, will largely change the incentive structure for many banks
on the receiving end of federal bailout funds.

The
bills represent a continuation of a huge shift in the government’s
approach to corporate management that began last fall, when the
government started to take stakes in private firms. . . .

. . .But for lawmakers barraged with calls and
e-mails from critical constituents, the corporate bonuses are part of a
larger problem surrounding the troubled institutions — the idea that
there is no financial accountability for risk-taking.

As one staffer suggested, it's certainly an I-told-you-so moment for Congressman Walz.

Other friends' recent observations foreshadowed Senator Grassley's rhetoric about what to do about those who received both bailout benjamins and bonuses. Cat Power has a how-to video. Or maybe not--though certainly a lovely voice. We offer the following video for rhetorical purposes only, in order to point out that today's bill simply isn't an extreme moment of the bonus discourse:

January 30, 2009

For the last two days, Congressman Walz has been conducting listening sessions about the stimulus bill. Yesterday, Walz met with local leaders and concerned citizens in Mankato and Rochester; today's stop was in Luverne.

Representative Tim Walz was in Mankato today
talking about President Obama's economic stimulus package. Walz hosted
a listening session at South Central College with local school
district, city, township and county officials. It's all in an effort to
raise awareness and support for the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Bill, which plans to spend 819 billion dollars. The bill passed the
house yesterday in Washington with Walz voting in support. He says it's
what needs to be done in a time of economic crisis. Tim Walz says, "It
was meant to be a life preserver to stop the hemorrhaging of jobs we've
seen across this country, build up the confidence in the system.
Provide relief to taxpayers...and also give our small businesses some
breaks so they can get going again." Walz is also in Rochester today
and heads to Luverne tomorrow.

From the looks of the audience shots (video at the link above), attendance was respectable. KAAL-TV in Rochester attended the session at that city's public library and reports in Tim Walz on Stimulus Package:

Representative Tim Walz, held a listening session about the stimulus
package so he can include them in his arguments on Capitol Hill.

820-billion dollars is a large number to wrap your head around and
people from all across Southeastern Minnesota came here to do just that.

"I don't know all the details, I'm hoping to find more details. That's what I really want to know," said Lyle Tjosaas.

Lyle came from Dodge Center and is fighting for industry investment and the housing market.

"Sometimes I think we're spreading ourselves too thin. We need to be careful."

A couple seats to his right, Mary Kay Feltes from Owatonna is fighting for her employer, the public library.

"We're getting crowded out too and we're definitely a big part of the infrastructure in our town."

And Representative Tim Walz is here to carry their fight to the White House.

"These are experts that know far more about the delivery than anyone
in Washington, myself included. We need to take back their
consideration. This bill's not done yet," said Walz.

Walz says while the stimulus bill and Minnesota’s four and a half billion-dollar share of it helps it isn't the solution.

"What we have to do is get the trust of the American public going
again, we have to invest in innovations, and the private sector," said
Walz.

Investments that are going to take bi-partisan support adjustments and most importantly time.

A day after voting in favor of an $819 billion federal stimulus
package, 1st District Rep. Tim Walz made two stops in the district to
listen to local officials worried about having those dollars sent to
the state instead of directly to cities, counties and schools.

Officials said they were worried that the state might use some of the money to plug its own budget gap.

Walz, at a meeting in Rochester, said he agrees that giving the
money directly to local governments makes sense, but he added that the
idea probably wouldn't win support because of concerns about
controlling the funds. Yet Walz said he believes that local government
officials are more accountable because voters can get rid of them
easily.

"I thought for this stimulus for impact, accountability and the
biggest bang for the buck for our local constituents and taxpayers was
to do the model the mayor is asking for. I don't think they are going
to do it," Walz said. "I think they are making a mistake." . . .

November 02, 2008

Instead of a speech, Mondale and Congressman Tim Walz spent Saturday
just speaking individually to voters and eating hamburger steaks at The
Kitchen. It was part of a tour around southern Minnesota to energize
voters about getting out the vote.

“The case is pretty well
made,” he said. “We think we’ve made a strong case to them and now
we’re just into executing the get-out-the-vote effort.” . . .

. . .As a newcomer to the world of politics, Walz earned 46 percent of the
Steele County vote compared to the 53 percent garnered by his
Republican opponent Gil Gutknecht, the incumbent who Walz managed to
unseat.

But in his first term, Walz described Owatonna as
pragmatic, with voters wanting to see effectiveness. He considers the
city as a “solid, middle-of-America middle-class town” and believes he
can have a better showing here.

“We want to give them a good look and let them know where we stand,” Walz said.

Walz was also campaigning in Republican Dodge County yesterday, as well as Mankato and Rochester. His campaign stops contrast with those Davis has chosen, which seem to be aimed at shoring up the GOP base. Walz's schedule for today, which includes another stop in Owatonna, is here.

Brian Davis was hitting his base in Pipestone, Martin and Brown Counties, with a stab at Nobles County, the New Ulm Journal reports in Davis on the road. He does his usual denial about the down side of privatizating Social Security, while backing away from his earlier, extended flirtation with the national sales tax. Davis would still like voters to believe that the issue only came up once, but BSP readers learned better in our post Brian Davis and Minnesota's flat tax organizers.

He also said he’s opposed on principle to the
numerous tax credits available to individuals and businesses, something
he considers government micro-managing of the economy

was out touting a few tax credits in Brown County, according to the Journal article:

Asked about the record third quarter profits ($14.8 billion) that Exxon
reported this week, Davis said he thinks the investment tax credits oil
companies received for drilling should end. But there should be
incentives to encourage oil companies to go after the large amounts of
U.S. oil that exists in oil shale.

Wags in the Waseca County News comment section suggest that anybody who mows corn has to be plowed, though at least he wasn't stalking anyone. One wiseacre thinks the perp must have been drinking Grain Belt.

The property damage to the corn was greater than that of the signs--on the other hand, stealing a person's right to political expression dampens democracy. All puns aside, we hope the farmer recovers the lost income and Rice County throws the book at the sign stealer.

Photo: If our selfish feline friend can do his bit, you can help get out the vote, too. Volunteer via the DFL or your local candidate. Sign up to help Walz here.

And now a little White Stripes; if this tune doesn't make you want to get up and at 'em, we don't know what will:

November 01, 2008

Who's in charge of our children's education? Parents should be in
charge and have their voices heard. Brian Davis is the only one
listening to them in our congressional district. He does not want to
eliminate the Department of Education.

Recently, Dr. Brian Davis said during a debate on TV that he
couldn’t name a single idea about how to improve health care for our
veterans. Really? There are more than 50,000 veterans in southern
Minnesota and I bet if you asked just one of them, they would be happy
to give Brian Davis an idea or two. I guess Brian Davis just hasn’t
bothered to ask any of them, or maybe it’s just not a priority for him.

On the other hand, Tim Walz has been a champion for veterans since
he went to Congress, working for an increase in the mileage
reimbursement rates for veterans, making sure our soldiers going to
Kosovo received combat pay for their service, and supporting the new
G.I. Bill. We need to make sure that our representative in Congress has
actually taken the time to think about issues that are important to us,
and from Brian Davis’s own admission, that’s not him.

We're hearing fascinating stories about the Davis campaign from our Republican friends in the district, but none of the tales about Davis's odd behavior and peculiar notions can beat his own statement to the Owatonna People's Press about how the race is close. Well, maybe the Davis campaign declaring the district was a dead heat when the Rochester Republican polled 32 percent.

October 31, 2008

Update: We have no idea what G.R. Anderson was smoking when he wrote his Minnpost article which posits this race as a model of civility. Sounds like neither he nor Hamline prof David Schlutz has ever seen a Davis television ad or press release or read any of the district dailies

After months of preparation — both in and out of the
classroom — Dakota Meadows and Mankato East hosted mock elections on
Thursday. Dakota Meadows’ election, coordinated through National
Student/Parent Mock Election, was decidedly in favor of Obama, who
garnered 347 votes to McCain’s 153. In the U.S. Senate race, Franken
won by just eight votes while Tim Walz, in the U.S. House race, won in
a landslide with 75 percent of the vote. Results from Mankato East’s
mock election, through the Youth Leadership Initiative, weren’t
announced until this morning.

Al Franken made a campaign stop in Mankato today.The senate candidate
was joined by Congressman Tim Walz and Senator Amy Klobuchar at
MSU.During ''For the Middle Class, For a Change'' rally, Franken said
he plans on helping Minnesotans and Americans reach for what he called
the ''promise of America,'' something he says has become a distant
reality over the last 8 years.Al Franken says, ''What I believe is that
what this election is about and what the next 4-8 years are gonna be
about is bridging that chasm and fulfilling once and for all the
promise of America.''The team started their campaign earlier in the day
with stops in Rochester, Owatonna, and Faribault.

He’s an opponent of abortion and gay marriage, is
doubtful that fossil fuel consumption is the primary reason for global
climate change and opposes embryonic stem cell research. He wants to
make the Bush tax cuts permanent, would like to eliminate the estate
tax and would be interested in studying a nationwide sales tax as a
replacement for income taxes.

Davis's pivot makes this statement in the MFP profile all the more ironic:

“Minnesota is a great place, and a lot of people look
at the candidates for who they are,” he said. “And they may not agree
with them on every issue, but they feel they can trust that person to
be straight with them

And we suspect that those in Southern Minnesota's renewable energy industry will raise their eyebrows at this, given the importance of the production tax credit:

He also said he’s opposed
on principle to the numerous tax credits available to individuals and
businesses, something he considers government micro-managing of the
economy.

And when it comes to PAYGO, in Brian Davis's world, evasive is the new straight shooting:

Davis also doesn’t say whether he would
support the pay-as-you-go budget rules — a strategy to reduce budget
deficits by requiring that any new spending increases or tax cuts be
offset with spending cuts or tax increases in other parts of the
budget: “That’s one strategy.”

. . .In his first term in the
United States Congress, Minnesota’s First District Representative Tim
Walz has earned the support of two nonpartisan environmental groups,
the League of Conservative Voters and the Sierra Club. Both
organizations are endorsing Walz for a second term.

LCV President Gene Karpinski said,
“Congressman Walz has done a great job of reaching across the aisle and
working with other freshmen members of congress to promote bi-partisan
legislation that will make a real impact on the environment and the
economy. He has bright new ideas for his next term and will continue to
be a strong ally for clean energy in Congress. He has supported
groundbreaking initiatives that will end our addiction to oil, invest
in renewable energy sources and create jobs right here at home.”

I hope others will join me in voting for Walz so that he can continue this good work.

The
Republican Party’s endorsed candidate, oncologist and neophyte
politician Brian Davis, has not gained much traction against freshman
Walz. The incumbent has a serious financial lead in the district, which
runs the width of the southern part of the state.

The 2008 race stands in sharp contrast with that of 2006. CQPolitics and other political handicappers have moved their predictions steadily toward the incumbent as this year's Election Day draws near. Two years ago, the race was red hot, with media and third party groups drawn to the district as Gutknecht and Walz duked it out. This year? Barely on the radar.

In the netroots, Jeff Rosenberg revives his analysis From the archives: Walz’s secret to success in CD1. It's a solid piece, though we tend to shun labeling anything about successful campaigns as "secret." It's no secret that the Walz camapign is smart, strategic, well-funded and firmly planted in the grassroots.

Alex Knutsen has been hard at work for months working to re-elect Congressman Tim Walz
in the first district. He considered jobs in the corporate sector, but
is confident that his choice to work for a campaign following
graduation was the right decision. He says this job has taught him
that, "compensation for the effort you put in comes in many forms."

Between the long hours and grueling schedule, especially as
campaigns make their last push before voters hit the polls, Knutsen
finds many aspects of his work rewarding. "[The knowledge that] the
work I do directly contributes to the encouragement of ideas, to the
empowerment of others, and to the process of making laws work for
people, means more to me than the sort of rewards I saw myself earning
in any number of positions," Knutsen said. He says he receives
intangible rewards from his daily work all the time. "In this job," he
said, "those rewards greatly out-value anything money can buy."

Looks like Congressman Walz is helping to grow the bench of positive, progressive political talent in Southern Minnesota.

Addresses can be updated with the "Where's My Refund?" tool at IRS.gov.

It enables taxpayers to check the status of their refunds.

Taxpayers must submit their Social Security number, filing status and amount of refund shown their 2007 return.

The tool will provide the status of their refund and in some cases, provide instructions on how to resolve delivery problems.

Taxpayers without internet access should call 1-866-234-2942.

In Minnesota, the average economic stimulus check was $560.

Taxpayers
who continue to have trouble receiving their checks or have other
outstanding issues with the IRS should contact Walz's Rochester office
at 507-206-0643.

Through September 2008, the government
distributed 116 million economic stimulus payments. About 279,000
checks remain undeliverable across the country.

The Waseca County News reports that convicted Enron exec Jeffrey Skilling has left the building and has been transferred to a correctional facility in Colorado. FCI Waseca is converting to an all-women's prison by the end of the year.

And in honor of those middle school kids, here's a Walz ad about "Lessons":

Photo: Congressman Walz visits his old classroom; photo credit New York Times.

October 30, 2008

Fifty-two years ago today, our father stopped by the maternity ward of Mankato's Immanuel Hospital to see our mom and us, then went back out to canvas the streets of the Key City for Dwight Eisenhower's re-election campaign.

Since then, attitudes about fathers' roles in birthing have changed. We don't know any man who wasn't at the side of the mother of his child--with the exception of a couple of guys in the Army and National Guard, who weren't happy at being away but understood their duty.

But the crunch time of GOTV has remained a constant companion on our birthday in even-numbered years. We urge everyone to get out and volunteer--whether by phone banking, doorknocking, stufing packets, or making food for the hordes of volunteers who are giving their time in this important election.

There will be work to do on Election Day as well; one task is driving voters to the poll. If you're civic minded but not into political parties, consider volunteering for this GOTV work. Non-profits in Minnesota can hook you up with non-partisan GOTV volunteer opportunities.

We wouldn't want anyone to have to give that greedy cat a burger in order to exercise his or her right to vote.

John Rassieur of Owatonna, Carl Witty of Kasson and Laura Askelin of
Rochester participate in a press conference Wednesday in Owatonna to
support Congressman Tim Walz, and to criticize a national sales tax
supported by Walz’s Republican opponent Dr. Brian Davis. Walz was not
in Owatonna Wednesday to participate in the press conference, but will
be appearing with Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken at 11:45
a.m. today at the Owatonna Elks Club.

Rep. Michele Bachmann is now notorious for her appearances on cable
TV news programs, having sparked significant controversy with her
recent “anti-America” statements on MSNBC. But as Politico reports,
Bachmann, a Republican, has done 23 major television appearances since
the beginning of September — far more than any member of Minnesota’s
congressional delegation. How does a freshman Congress member from the
minority party find herself in the limelight so often?

Easy. You and I pay for it.

Bachmann has built an impressive communications staff in Washington,
D.C. She has a press secretary for national media, a press secretary
for local media and a “new media director” who harnesses “the
networking and outreach power of the internet.”

According to congressional salary data, none of Minnesota’s Congress
members has more than one press secretary. Minnesota’s most influential
members, Democratic Reps. James Oberstar and Collin Peterson, who chair
the House Transportation and Agriculture committees, respectively, each
have only one press secretary.

Bachmann’s fellow freshman colleagues, Democratic Reps. Keith
Ellison and Tim Walz, each have just one communications lead, and Walz
has combined the communications director and district director
positions into one entity.

"It's an honor to receive the support of Congresswoman Bachmann," Davis
said of Bachmann. "She is a dynamic leader for Minnesota and for our
conservative causes. I value her leadership and advice, her principles
and energy. I look forward to serving with her in the 111th Congress."

Over the weekend, I read something very concerning. When the Republican
candidate for Congress, Brian Davis, was asked to name a specific way
he would improve education or health care benefits for veterans, he
couldn’t come up with even one idea.

I can’t believe that
someone could run for Congress for over a year and in all that time not
manage to develop a single idea about how to improve veterans’ care. I
have heard how hard it is for veterans to make use of their educational
benefits.

When I returned from Vietnam in 1971, I was able to enroll
in law school without having to jump through all kinds of hoops to get
my benefits as veterans do today. Anyone who has taken the time to talk
to a veteran and get their perspective on these issues would have been
able to come up with an answer to that question. But not Davis, I guess.

[Robert]Youngerman is a retired major in the United States Army Reserve.

Billed as a presentation of Davis's heath care plan, last night's meeting in Albert Lea turns out simply have been a chance for Davis to rally the GOP faithful. Check out the intense excitement rippling across the faces of the faithful.

A comment on the Post Bulletin story about the national sales tax and Brian Davis piqued our interest: the person said that Davis attended Fair Tax meetings:

Brian Davis has att[e]nded Fair tax meetings. Why doesn’t he just come clean and say that he’s for the Fair tax?

We understand that Brian Davis did attend this Rochester event in July. The Minnesota Fair Tax Roundtable, a Yahoo group, notifies readers:

News Release

Minnesota 4 Fair Tax will host a get acquainted meeting at the La Quinta Motel, 1600 So. Broadway, Rochester at 7:00PM on Wednesday, July 9th. We will be doing a Power Point overview of the FairTax, followed by discussion.

Rep. Walz, Brian Davis and Dick Day have been invited to attend.

The FairTax is a proposal before in U.S. House (HR25) to replace the income tax with a national sales tax. Nationally we are faced with many issues, but top priority is our economic future. The FairTax answers that all-important question, and you can learn all about it in
about half an hour. Bring a friend.

David Boone
District Director
Minnesota 1st District

Perhaps the Post Bulletin's Matt Stolle could call Mr. Boone and ask if Davis spoke at the event, and if so, what he said. We are told that Davis did speak to those assembled.

Davis claims that:

"I've said this is an interesting idea. On one occasion, I think I said
it was a good idea, but I wasn't ready to support it. I felt it needed
more study," said Davis . . .

If Davis spoke to the fair tax meeting in July (and it is our understanding that he did), his remark at the earlier forum isn't the only time he has expressed interest.

. . .Right now I am talking face -to-face with 2 Republican contenders against Walz, in an attempt to make the FairTax an up-front issue in the race.

Readers may recall that Davis received the endorsement at the First district GOP convention at the end of March and Randy Demmer dropped out of the race as he had promised to do. Thus, Boone would have been having his face-to-face meetings with Dick Day and Brian Davis.

According to this week's Post Bulletin story:

But another Republican, state Sen. Dick Day of Owatonna, said it has
always been his impression that Davis supported the fair tax. Day ran
for the congressional seat but lost in the GOP primary against Davis in
September. He did not participate in the debate, though.

"I've thought all along that he's been for the (fair) tax. I've
always thought that. I think his supporters would be disappointed if he
wasn't," Day said.

Perhaps Senator Day got the impression that Davis supported the national sales tax from those face-to-face meetings with Boone. One thing is for certain, Davis's assertion that the "fair tax" only crossed his mind once meets the smell test less and less.

Photo: Once again, Davis's explanations are enough to--well, you get the picture.

October 29, 2008

Update 10/30: See Brian Davis and Minnesota's flat tax organizers for revealing new developments in this story. Emerging details tend to support Senator's Day's recollections of Davis's ongoing interest in the national sales tax.[end update]

But another Republican, state Sen. Dick Day of Owatonna, said it has
always been his impression that Davis supported the fair tax. Day ran
for the congressional seat but lost in the GOP primary against Davis in
September. He did not participate in the debate, though.

"I've thought all along that he's been for the (fair) tax. I've
always thought that. I think his supporters would be disappointed if he
wasn't," Day said.

Fascinating stuff. Davis seems to want to have it both ways: applauding the national sales tax but being able to deny that he thinks it's a good idea. Sounds like the response of a certain Sixth District congresswoman when she was called on it. Davis touts being a straight shooter, but has anyone seen him hit a target?

Update: The irreplaceable McPherson Hall at Minnesota Central takes an in-depth look at Davis's saying that the national sales tax is a "good idea" in Davis needs more time to Study Taxes. [end update]

Since it's close to Halloween, we know the perfect song for Davis's odds of being elected on Tuesday:

October 28, 2008

Brian Davis seems to be chasing his own tail when it comes to his statements about the national sales tax. A press release and fact sheet just in from the Walz campaign covers the basics:

The Facts on the 23% National Sales Tax Plan

Davis Calls it a “Good Idea;” 80% of Minnesotans Would Pay Higher Taxes

( Mankato , Minn. ) – With the economy in trouble and Minnesota ’s middle class families hurting, Dr. Brian Davis, the Republican Congressional candidate in Minnesota ’s First District, continues to say he thinks it’s “a good idea” to impose a new 23% federal sales tax on all goods and services.

This is despite the fact that tax experts, newspapers all across the country, and conservative Republicans like President Bush and former House Majority Leader Dick Armey agree that a new 23% sales tax would have a devastating impact on the middle class and could lead to a recession.

According to one study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, 80% of Minnesotans would pay more in taxes each year under the federal sales tax that Dr. Davis thinks is “a good idea.” The average tax increase on middle class Minnesotans under the plan would be nearly $3,000.

Additionally, supporters of a 23% federal sales tax also call for the elimination of the Internal Revenue Code, which would wipe out important tax credits and deductions like the Child Tax Credit, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and the mortgage interest tax deduction.

Equally troubling, imposing a new federal sales tax, which Dr. Davis thinks is “a good idea,” would force senior citizens to be taxed twice on their Social Security benefits. Seniors who earned their Social Security benefits by paying payroll taxes during their working years would be subject to a 23% sales tax on everything they buy with their Social Security payments. Davis has previously said he supports privatizing Social Security, a move that would put the retirement security of senior citizens at risk by gambling it on the stock market.

“It’s incredible that with our economy on the ropes, Dr. Davis thinks it’s ‘a good idea’ to put a new 23% sales tax on literally everything we buy,’ said Chris Schmitter, campaign manager for Tim Walz. “Tim Walz has a plan to cut taxes for middle-class families; Dr. Davis says it’s a ‘good idea’ to increase taxes on 80% of Minnesotans and privatize their Social Security.”

A fact sheet about the national sales tax [below].

Maybe Davis picked up his coyness about the national sales tax from his BFF Michele Bachmann. Lovely.

Republican Congressional Candidate Brian Davis is calling for a new, 23
percent national sales tax...Saying the tax would replace all other
taxes and put money back into the wallets of residents who need it
most. Davis' Fair Tax would end state and federal income taxes, which
tax at a higher rate the more income a person makes. Something
economics professor Dick Schiming disagrees with, Professor Dick
Schiming says, "By taxing consumption, people will consume less. The
upside is that they'll save and invest more. The downside is that
everything we buy from a gallon of gas to a loaf of bread is going to
have a twenty three percent sales tax on it, so everything we buy will
cost more. "Today a group of concerned citizens who oppose the national
sales tax met at the DFL District office to voice their concerns. James
Carroll says, "Most people would not be able to afford this. Most
people fall into the 15% income tax rate and adding a 23% sales tax
instead doesn't make sense. "The residents say they are more concerned
with tax cuts for the middle class.

is an association of rural phone and broadband providers concerned with
ensuring that American consumers and businesses continue to enjoy
affordable telephone and broadband service. The CAC includes
CenturyTel, Consolidated Communications, Embarq, FairPoint
Communications, Frontier Communications, Iowa Telecom and Windstream
Communications, who collectively serve more than 17 million customers
in 42 states.

Potentially higher costs to consumers and the lack of transparency in rule-making are cited as reasons for delayed the decision and opening up the process for public comment.

Seven southeastern Minnesota counties will get $7.4 million to
repair federal roads and highways damaged in the August 2007 flood.

They are Fillmore, Houston, Olmsted, Steele, Wabasha, Winona and Dodge, according to the office of Rep. Tim Walz, D-Mankato.

A record 15.1 inches of rain fell in 24 hours during the event, and
some places recorded substantially more. In addition to flooding
thousands of homes and killing seven people, the floods damaged
culverts, bridges and piers in many roads.

Overshadowed by the Bachmann-Tinklenberg and Madia-Paulsen races, the
Tim Walz vs. Brian Davis match in the First Congressional District has
been a fascinating fight between lunchbucket DFLer and loyally
conservative Republican.

Tim Walz has been a champion for veterans since he went to Congress,
working for an increase in the mileage reimbursement rates for
veterans, making sure our soldiers going to Kosovo received combat pay
for their service, and supporting the new GI Bill. We need to make
sure that our representative in Congress has actually taken the time to
think about issues that are important to us.

October 27, 2008

Rochester Area Residents’ Message to Dr. Brian Davis: New 23% National Sales Tax is Not a “Good Idea.”

( Rochester , Minn. ) – A group of Rochester area residents held a press conference today to oppose 1st District Congressional candidate Dr. Brian Davis’s call for a new, nation-wide 23% sales tax on all purchases.

“Dr. Davis said he thinks that a new 23% sales tax is ‘a good idea,’” said Laura Askelin. “Maybe he hasn’t noticed, but people are hurting right now in this economy. I can’t believe he would think that now is the time to put a new 23% tax on everything we buy.”

“Dr. Davis says that keeping George Bush’s tax cuts for millionaires is a top priority for him,” said Colleen Clark. “But he’s drawing the line at any new tax cuts for the middle class and on top of that, now he wants a new 23% sales tax. Dr. Davis is out of touch with what southern Minnesota ’s families need.”

Frank Hawthorne, a supporter of Tim Walz, said “Tim Walz has a plan to cut taxes for 61 million middle class families and save them an average of $750. Dr. Davis not only doesn’t have a plan, but he’s calling for a new 23% national sales tax.”

“With our economy in trouble and the stock market sinking, we need to help people keep more of their money,” said Dave Pugh. “ But Dr. Davis thinks that now is just the time for a new tax on groceries, prescription drugs, clothes and gas. That’s a recipe for disaster.”

Davis Would Oppose Tax Cuts for Middle-Class Families: Davis said he supports the Bush Administration’s tax cuts for millionaires. But, when asked about tax cuts for the middle-class, such as that proposed by Senator Obama, Davis said: "I'm not in favor of tax cuts, additional tax cuts right now." [KSTP – League of Women Voters Debate, 10/12/08]

Walz’s tax cut would save 61 million taxpayers an average of $750 in taxes. The Walz Middle-Class Tax Fairness Act will cut taxes for 61 million taxpayers and save an average of $750 on their taxes this year if his legislation were enacted.

Davis said a new 23% sales tax on everything is “a good idea.” At a debate in Winona, Dr. Davis said that a new 23% sales tax on everything was “a good idea.” [Winona Youth GOP Debate, 2/07/08]

Note: those wishing transcripts of the debates should contact the Walz campaign (author of the press release).

Here's a wee bit of Little Milton for those families struggling to make ends meet:

On Friday, Project Vote Smart had objected to Brian Davis's latest attack ad (is there any other kind in the Davis media portfolio?), saying in a statement:

Brian Davis, Republican candidate for Minnesota’s 1st Congressional
District, has attacked Timothy Walz, his Democratic/Farmer/Labor
opponent, with information he knows to be false, has used Project Vote
Smart’s name to give his accusations credibility.

Today, the Walz campaign takes down the ad. Just in from the campaign office:

Davis Launches Dishonest TV Attack Ad on Taxes

Davis has “no credibility on taxes” because he called a new 23% national sales tax “a good idea.”

( Southern Minnesota ) – Brian Davis has launched yet another negative and dishonest TV attack ad, this time on the issue of taxes. Davis ’s previous ads also featured false, negative attacks and were characterized by some Minnesota newspapers as “misleading.”

Walz Campaign Manager Chris Schmitter said, "Dr. Davis has no credibility on the issue of taxes. This is the guy who told a group of young people earlier this year that a new 23% national sales tax on everything we buy is ‘a good idea.’ Davis ’s call to increase taxes is a bad idea for middle class families that are struggling to pay for groceries, gas and other essentials in this difficult time.”

Schmitter also said that Davis ’s ad is lying about Walz’s record. “Brian Davis has stretched the truth in his ads before, but this one really reaches a new low. He says that a bipartisan energy bill that 178 House Republicans voted for included a huge tax increase? Give me a break—that’s an outright lie. Tim Walz has a plan to cut taxes for middle class families and that’s the truth.”

The attached Ad Watch sets the record straight and debunks the newest Davis ad.

The biggest challenge for Davis has been gaining traction in a
political environment that has not favored Republicans. Unlike Walz,
whose candidacy two years ago was boosted by an unpopular war and an
unpopular president, Davis has been facing mostly head winds.

"It's an environment that helps Democrats right now," said Steven
Schier, a political science professor at Carleton College. "People are
blaming Republicans more than Democrats for what they see in the
troubled state of the nation. That's just a problem for Davis."

Schier said the dynamics of the race could change as a result of
some unforeseen event or comment as they did in Minnesota's 6th
Congressional District, when GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann described Barack
Obama's views as "un-American." But nothing like that has happened so
far.

Other advantages for Walz include:

. . .From the beginning, Republican leaders have sought to portray Walz
as out of sync with the district's values -- a supporter of San
Francisco values and not southern Minnesota values -- citing his record
of voting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on many issues.

But Walz has been able to deflect such charges by citing
endorsements from organizations ranging from the National Rifle
Association to veterans groups to receiving the "Friend of the Farm"
award from the Farm Bureau. . . .

And there's the grassroots and fundraising advantage:

Walz has been no slouch on the campaign trail. When he accepted the
party's endorsement earlier this year, he promised to wage the largest
grassroots campaign in the district's history. Chris Schmitter, his
campaign spokesman, estimates that the campaign has knocked over
100,000 doors and made more than 160,000 phone calls.

His record over the past two years includes his opposition to the
proposed Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern railroad expansion. Months
after his election, the federal government rejected DM&E's bid for
a $2.3 billion loan after a decade of simmering controversy.

Walz also helped secure the largest increase in funding in the
Veteran Administration's history. As a member of the House Agriculture
Committee, he played a role in shaping the Farm Bill.

And with three times the war chest, Walz has had a megaphone to
promote his message, while roundly criticizing Davis for supporting a
partial privatization of Social Security, a move he says would cut
payments to seniors.

Rep. Tim Walz, a Democrat from Mankato, outspent Republican
challenger Brian Davis by a better than 3-1 ratio in the first two
weeks of October, according to new campaign financial disclosures.

Walz, running for his second term, spent $346,005 from Oct. 1
through Oct. 15. Davis, a Mayo Clinic physician from Rochester, spent
$104,988. Walz entered the stretch run with $730,464 in the bank, while
Davis had $265,570.

Walz spent $222,501 on advertising, $27,592 on telemarketing and
$30,600 on polling, his disclosure showed. Davis spent $73,995 on
advertising and $4,355 on polling.

We noted earlier in CD1 pre-election reports: struggling and shining that Davis's cash balance doesn't tell the whole story, since his report included over $9,000 in unpaid bills to vendors and $124,000 in loans from the candidate that need to be repaid.

In the Fillmore County Journal, Tom Driscoll bases Davis challenges Walz on the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce debate, but not before providing a fascinating snapshot of Minnesota values culled from a 2008 survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Politics.

My father died at the young age of 59, leaving my 57-year-old mother
with the prospect of providing for herself and her college-age son on a
part-time college bookstore clerk’s salary.

Because of Social
Security Survivor benefits, my brother was able to finish college and
my mother was able to make ends meet after losing her primary source of
support. I don’t know what would have happened if Social Security
hadn’t been there to provide support for our family.

Dr. Brian Davis, and the Minnesota Republican party want
to allow individuals to invest Social Security funds in the stock
market, which could be quite risky as we have seen from watching the
market these past few weeks. I won’t be voting for Davis this November
for a number of reasons, one of which is his plan to privatize Social
Security, which I believe is bad news for families, for retirees trying
to make ends meet and for those on Social Security disability.

Instead, I’ll vote to return Tim Walz to Congress, who will continue to oppose privatizing Social Security.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development has
guaranteed a $3 million loan through First State Bank Southwest for the
new YMCA and City of Worthington Aquatics Center, which is scheduled
for a groundbreaking ceremony at 2 p.m. Nov. 2. The money will go to
the YMCA through the city.

The new building, which will be on the
Minnesota West Community and Technical College campus, will cost
approximately $9.5 million and should be finished in 2009.

During a program Friday at the Y, one word was brought up numerous times by various speakers — collaborate.
. . .

. . .But the collaboration between the entities made the funding
possible, with the addition of Rural Development. It wasn’t easy, but
the efforts of several people paid off, Raymo said.

“Collaboration
is truly what it takes to build a project like this,” stated Matt
Wohlman of Rep. Tim Walz’s office. “Minnesota has the unique ability to
collaborate and be partners in order to get things done.” . . .

It's the sixth anniversary of the plane crash that claimed the lives of Paul and Sheila Wellstone, their daughter Marcia, everybody's friend Mary McEvoy, two campaign workers and the pilots. We urge everyone from all parties to continue the spirit of the Wellstones, and spend some time volunteering today for the candidate or candidates you support, whether DFL, Republican, Independent, or any of the other third parties.

Photo: Regardless of how much mud gets slung, volunteers for Congressman Walz's campaign simply scrape off their shoes and continue doorknocking.

Today, Tim Walz won his second debate of the
general election, sponsored by KSTP and the Minnesota League of Women Voters.
During the debate, Walz focused on his record of fighting for the middle-class
families of southern Minnesota and
bringing change to
Washington

Schmitter said that Walz’s record of fighting for
the middle-class stands in stark contrast to his opponent’s support of the
failed Bush Administration policies that favor CEOs and Big Oil over ordinary
families.

“Today, Dr. Davis made two remarkable statements
that make it clear he’ll continue the same failed, out-of-touch polices of the
Bush Administration. He actually said that he supports keeping George Bush’s tax
cuts for millionaires, but that he will oppose any new tax cuts for middle-class
families. And, incredibly, he said once again that he has no idea how to improve
care and benefits for our veterans,” Schmitter said.

The [pdf document here] debunks several of Dr.
Davis’s distortions and misstatements during the debate. The debate plays on
KAAL-TV on Sunday, October 12 ( 6:00PM )
and on KSTP TV on Sunday, October 19 (
9:00PM ).

Davis Would Oppose
Tax Cuts for Middle-Class Families:Davis said he supports the Bush Administration’s tax cuts for
millionaires. But, when asked about tax cuts for the middle-class, such as that
proposed by Senator Obama, Davis said: "I'm not in favor of tax cuts, additional tax
cuts right now." [KSTP – League of Women Voters Debate, 10/12/08.

Davis Again Said
He Has No Specific Proposals to Help Our Veterans: During the debate, when asked about specific proposals
he would support to increase care and benefits for our veterans,
Davis said: "I have no specific proposals right now." [KSTP –
League of Women Voters Debate, 10/12/08.

Davis Doesn’t
Understand Veterans’ Issues; Can’t Identify Ways to Improve Care for
Veterans.< At a
Fairmont candidates forum last week, Dr. Davis was asked, “What action would you take to provide better educational
methods and health care to our veterans?”
Davis responded, “I can’t identify any specific
areas where we would improve the educational or healthcare methods for veterans.
I know there was a recent bill passed that is doing just that.”
[Fairmont Chamber of Commerce Candidates Forum,
10/2/08]

October 03, 2008

The bailout bill is now law...President Bush signed the 700 billion
dollar measure after the House passed it today.Five of Minnesota's
eight House members voted for the billion dollar bill...One of the "No"
votes came from first district Congressman Tim Walz...

He says that
while congress should move quickly to put out the fire in the financial
markets, he also says it's important to get it right.

Congressman Tim
Walz says, "Why if this is the plan to fix it and they believe it's
going to work why aren't they willing to put their money where their
mouth is and say if it doesn't work we're going to assume
responsibility."

Brian Davis, the Republican challenger for Congress in Minnesota's
1st Congressional District, was late on paying property taxes on a
Wisconsin vacation home in five of the last six years. It's the second
instance the Mayo Clinic doctor has been found to be delinquent on
paying property taxes.

In July, Davis was reported to have been tardy paying property taxes
on his Rochester home every year since 2003, and paid more than $1,300
in fines, fees and interest to Olmsted County. At the time, Davis
called the problem an "oversight," and said that he and his wife
planned to return to an automatic payment system to avoid late payments
in the future.

Davis is running against DFL Congressman Tim Walz, a first-term representative from Mankato.

DFL discovery

In the most recent revelation brought to light by the Minnesota DFL
Party, Davis reportedly was late five times in paying property taxes on
the home he owns in Spider Lake, Wis., which is 24 miles northeast of
Hayward, Wis. The lake is 210 miles northeast of Rochester. The period
covers from 2002 to 2007. He had to pay $728.52 in penalties and
interest. The number of days he was delinquent in each of those
incidents ranged from 18 days to 163 days. . . .

The weekend is upon us, don't you know. So here's a little tune to get you ready:

October 02, 2008

About 20 minutes ago, the Star Tribune just broke another late tax payment story about the Republican candidate running against Tim Walz. In Davis paid taxes late on home in Wisconsin,staff writer Chao Xiong reports:

Brian Davis, the Republican candidate for Congress in Minnesota's
First District, paid property taxes on his Wisconsin summer home late
in five of the past six years, adding to a record of tardy tax payments
on his Rochester home.

Between 2002 and 2007, Davis, a Mayo Clinic physician, was between
18 and 163 days late on property tax payments on the home he owns in
Spider Lake, Wis., according to Sawyer County records. He has paid
$728.52 in penalties and interest.

The Minnesota DFL Party discovered the infractions.

Davis is challenging incumbent Tim Walz, a Democrat from Mankato.

News about property tax payments for Davis' Rochester home surfaced
this summer, showing that he had paid $1,400 in interest and penalties
for 10 late payments since 2003.

Davis deferred comment on the Wisconsin taxes to his campaign manager, Mike Spellings.

October 01, 2008

As the campaigns go into high gear, candidates may forget some of their
own personal obligations. Fortunately, some government agencies, such
as Blue Earth County,
want to make sure that everyone knows that Second Half Property Taxes
are due October 15th. Now, I don’t know if Olmsted County issues PSA,
but please remind Dr. Brian Davis that taxes are due.

Before Congress could have an opportunity to weigh in adding $700 billion to our national debt, they had a vote to add $70 billion for the next year. So how did the self-identified fiscal conservatives
- John Kline (R-MN-02) and Michele Bachmann (R-MN-06) – vote ? They
voted for it. In opposition were Tim Walz (D-MN-01) and Collin Peterson
(D-MN-07). The bill passed by a large majority with only 30 Democrats
standing in opposition (or in support of fiscal responsibility.) It was
the easy political choice … it wasn’t fiscally prudent
but being fiscally prudent won’t get you as many votes if it means that
voters might be told by their opponent that the vote would be
classified as a tax increase. . . .

Go over and read the rest of the retired accountant and fiscal moderate's fine analysis. Just do it.